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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Bees and beekeeping have held a great importance to many cultures through history particularly prior to the arrival of sugar cane to colder areas of the world. A British tradition that was held by some beekeepers was referred to as "Telling the Bees". This involved informing the bees of any important family events like birth, marriage or death. Beekeepers would often leave small offerings like wedding cake or small sweets for a birth and drape the hives with black cloth or turn the hives away from the house upon death. It was said that the bees would either die or leave the hives if not told of the death of their keeper. This tradition was brought to the Americas by immigrants in the 19th century. In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn he wrote:

“And he said if a man owned a beehive and that man died, the bees must be told about
it before sun-up next morning, or else the bees would all weaken down and quit
work and die. Jim said bees wouldn't sting idiots; but I didn't believe that,
because I had tried them lots of times myself, and they wouldn't sting me.”

Another example of "Telling the Bees" is in England in 1840, a woman upon the death of their keeper leaving an offering of sweets and reciting the poem:

Your master J.A. has passed away.

But his wife now begs you will freely stay,

and still gather honey for many a day.

Bonny bees, Bonny bees, hear what I say.

Here is a poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier about "Telling the Bees" of their keepers passing.

Telling
the Bees

(The
traditional telling the bees
of a recent beekeeper passing)

Here
is the place; right over the hill

Runs
the path I took;

You
can see the gap in the old wall still,

And
the stepping-stones in the shallow brook.

There
is the house, with the gate red-barred,

And
the poplars tall;

And
the barn's brown length, and the cattle-yard,

And
the white horns tossing above the wall.

There
are the beehives ranged in the sun;

And
down by the brink

Of
the brook are her poor flowers, weed-o'errun,

Pansy
and daffodil, rose and pink.

A
year has gone, as the tortoise goes,

Heavy
and slow;

And
the same rose blows, and the same sun glows,

And
the same brook sings of a year ago.

There's
the same sweet clover-smell in the breeze;

And
the June sun warm

Tangles
his wings of fire in the trees,

Setting,
as then, over Fernside farm.

I
mind me how with a lover's care

From
my Sunday coat

I
brushed off the burrs, and smoothed my hair,

And
cooled at the brookside my brow and throat.

Since
we parted, a month had passed,--

To
love, a year;

Down
through the beeches I looked at last

On
the little red gate and the well-sweep near.

I
can see it all now,--the slantwise rain

Of
light through the leaves,

The
sundown's blaze on her window-pane,

The
bloom of her roses under the eaves.

Just
the same as a month before,--

The
house and the trees,

The
barn's brown gable, the vine by the door,--

Nothing
changed but the hives of bees.

Before
them, under the garden wall,

Forward
and back,

Went
drearily singing the chore-girl small,

Draping
each hive with a shred of black.

Trembling,
I listened: The summer sun

Had
the chill of snow;

For
I knew she was telling the bees of one

Gone
on the journey we all must go!

Then
I said to myself, 'My Mary weeps

For
the dead to-day;

Haply
her blind old grandsire sleeps

The
fret and the pain of his age away.'

But
her dog whined low; on the doorway sill,

With
his cane to his chin,

The
old man sat; and the chore-girl still

Sung
to the bees stealing out and in.

And
the song she was singing ever since

In
my ear sounds on:

'Stay
at home, pretty bees, fly not hence!

Mistress
Mary is dead and gone!'

There is also a tradition called "Asking the Bees" where a new beekeeper "Asks the Bees" to accept them as their keeper and to impart their wisdom to them. These traditions died in the late 19th century but a few like myself still follow these traditions. Though I spend a lot of time with other beekeepers in a beekeeping organization and coop I cherish those intimate times I spend alone with bees talking to them about what's happening in my life. When I do this the bees land on my arms, feeding on the moisture and sodium, listening intently. Emily sent me a wonderful story of the prayers read at the funeral of Clive Watson, a much loved leader and supporter of the beekeeping community. These are the prayers that were read to his hives (Telling the Bees ).

I hope that upon my passing someone reads prayers to my bees. This is a beautiful, moving film about a son informing the bees of his father's passing and deciding their future.

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Free Course

Ohio State University has created a free honey bee biology and beekeeping course based on Dr. Reed Johnson's for-credit OSU Beekeeping Course. The free course consists of video lectures, handouts and readings presented on iTunes which is a free download. The course is extensive and consists of 138 segments covering every aspect of bees and beekeeping. To access this course click on the image above.

Strathcona Beekeepers

The Strathcona Beekeepers meet on the last Sunday of each month during the bee season. Everyone is welcome. For more information on the meetings or our community Beekeeping Coop contact us at strathconabeeatgmaidotcom.